Using Timing panel delays

- When animations play one after the otheras set up in the timing panel,by default they play immediately,one right after the other with no pause in between.Sometimes that's not exactly how you'd likeyour animations to play,and the timing panel lets you set up delays,both to individual animations that play in sequence,or also to items within linked groupsthat are set to play together.This gives you a lot more control in how youranimations play out.Let's take a look.In this example, each bar on this bar graphis set to scale from a width of zeroup to 100%.

The scaling options are set here,and they're set to animate to current appearance,with the proxy set on the left.So they're going to start at zero width hereand grow to the right.The bars are gonna kind of draw themselves.This example is set up with default timing.One bar is set to play right after the next.Let's take a look.Bar one draws, finishes, then bar two,bar three, and bar four.This is standard sequential timing,and this is what you'll get by default.

Items are set in the timing panelin the order you animate them.But let's look at what happens when weput in a delay.I'm gonna turn to the next page of this file,and in this case if we look at the timing panel,these are still listed sequentially,but starting with the second bar,we have a delay of one secondbefore the next bar will play.This would be useful for exampleif i wanted to say something after each bar grew.Let's see how this previews.Bar one draws, I can make a point,then bar two draws, I can say something else,bar three, and bar four.

And if I needed to say more,of course, I could increase the amount of the delay.but it will cause the next item in the timing panelsequence to wait by however long you set this delaybefore it plays.Let's look at an example with linked items.I'm gonna turn to the next page of this file,and these are our same four bars,but in this case I've selected them alland linked them together by clicking onthe link icon at the bottom of our page.Let's preview this page.

They all play at exactly the same time,and they finish at about the same time, too.But what if I want one of these bars to playbut before it finishes,start the next one to play?And then the next one to play,and the next one.I want them to start at different times.Well, that involves linking them.Let's look at an example.I'm gonna turn to the next page of our file,and in this case, the animated objects are still linked,but what I've done is starting with the second bar,I've put in a quarter of a second delay.

They're all gonna start at the same time,as far as timing goes,but bar number two is gonna waitjust a split second before it starts playing,as will bar three, and bar four.Let's take a look.Bar one starts, there goes two, three, four.So, this is a way of staggering them.You can't do it when they're listedsequentially in the timing panel,because sequentially means sequential.The second item's not going to playuntil the first item completes.

But if you want things to have a staggered startin your animations, link them,and then set in these delays.So you can see that timing panel delays,putting in a little pause,can play an important part in thetiming of your animations.And it's a really important part of the waythe timing panel helps us controlwhen and how our animations play.

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Author

Updated

3/23/2016

Released

6/2/2015

Get a complete guide to using InDesign's powerful animation features. After laying the groundwork of controlling basic animations via the Animation and Timing panels, author Diane Burns shows how to customize animation settings and motion paths and apply multiple animations to objects. She reviews common animation effects that don't always use obvious techniques, such as how to make a line that draws itself, a neon sign that flashes, or a bicycle that moves. She then dives into more complex projects including animated logos, ads, and books. While the course is "output neutral," a chapter is devoted to the various output options, including fixed-layout EPUB and SWF. Start watching and learn how to add exciting new interactivity and interest to your InDesign projects now.

Topics include:

Setting up an animation workspace

Working with the Animation panel

Viewing and editing animation presets

Working with rotation and scaling

Creating motion paths

Adjusting timing

Animating type

Animating infographics

Adding buttons and sounds

Building more complex animations

Exporting animation

Creating, saving, and sharing custom motion presets

Skill Level Intermediate

5h 3m

Duration

180,793

Views

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Q: This course was updated on 03/23/2016. What changed?

A: We updated the video "Supported format overview" and added a new movie, 'Using animations with Publish Online."